


Violet; the Only Thing I See

by MamaCesa



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:08:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23835889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamaCesa/pseuds/MamaCesa
Summary: Patton only catches a glimpse of his first color in the city.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 4
Kudos: 58





	Violet; the Only Thing I See

Patton Harte was eighteen years, five months, and three days old when he saw color for the first time. 

He was walking down a busy avenue in San Francisco. He had taken BART to the city on his day off to be under the gaze of the skyscrapers. He strode over sparkling pavement, and as he looked up the sun glittered off the top windows of the massive buildings above him. It was a windy day in the city, so he made sure to wear a jacket with deep pockets to protect his hands from the chill. There were people everywhere, cars at a standstill beside him in the rush hour, and he felt buzzed. 

Being in the city was his favorite state of being. He grew up in the Oakland Hills looking out to the small section of the tallest buildings, surrounded by two bridges. Watching the sun rise in the mornings over the Bay was his favorite pastime. He was so excited to see the colors his parents described to him. If something so wonderful could be even more beautiful outside of the shades of gray, he would probably die soon after just from the sheer bliss. 

He knew San Francisco was full of color. They had the Castro District, historically a town where a lot of people from the LGBTQ+ community built roots. There were the piers, and the exploratorium was busy all the time with people. The Westfield Mall had so many different shades of gray, and the shops made him excited to shop for clothes when he had a better idea of what they looked like. 

He wondered if the reason he ventured into the city was because of all the potential of color he anticipated. He longed to see the blues of the bay water as he stared out on the end of Pier 39. He wanted to know the color of the soft grass he laid on when watching fireworks below Ghirardelli Square. Oh, the fireworks, what an even more iridescent display they would be when he was holding the hands of the person who introduced the world to him in a new way. 

He was walking towards Pier One from the shadows of the buildings, and came upon tents belonging to people selling their goods. He smiled as he took his time browsing the products. He admired the way jewelry glimmered in the sunlight. The handmade beanies were exquisite. He had a few extra dollars in his pocket, so he purchased the one that seemed to compliment his head well. The vendor had told him it was, “Sky blue,” with a pitying smile on their face. Most people met their soulmates in high school. 

He had just graduated high school the month prior, and had felt some disappointment that he couldn’t enjoy the school colors with his peers. He didn’t let that dampen his mood completely. He had his parents take a ton of pictures for him to look at when he had someone to show them to. 

As he made his way to the MUNI stop, the crowd thickened in the evening foot traffic. 

“Sorry,” he muttered. He accidentally bumped into someone, he wasn’t paying attention to who, and next thing he knew he caught a few snippets of...color… here and there. There were mostly the grays, whites, and blacks he was used to but all of the sudden there was something...new. 

He looked behind him to see if the person he had bumped into was looking for him as well. He stood on his tip-toes, angering others passing by. He craned his neck, but to no avail. The person who introduced him to this taste of color was gone. In just the briefest of meetings, Patton’s life was changed with no warning or explanation.

He slumped his shoulders in disappointment. He made his way home slowly, his head dropped low, not even bothering to marvel in the new discovery in his sight. What was the point of the vibrant hints if they were only painful reminders of a missed opportunity lost in a crowd. 

He got onto BART, holding onto the wrist straps attached to the rails of the train car. He pulled out his phone, noticing the case was the new color. That sparked his curiosity. He opened up Google, searching for the colors of the Rainbow. Rainbows were what everyone said was the combination of all colors. He smiled to himself, knowing now that the colors teasing his vision were shades of violet.

\----

“Hey, Pat, how was your day out?” his mom asked when he entered the doorway of his home in the hills. 

His smile was bittersweet as he answered, “Enlightening.”

Mrs. Harte raised her eyebrow, and Patton noticed light shades of violet were smudged onto her eyelids. He couldn’t find himself to answer the unasked question, it was too much, and his mother sitting in front of him made him feel uneasy. 

“I’m wiped, I’m going to go ahead and rest in bed until dinner’s ready. I love you,” he kissed his mom on the cheek and bolted to his room. 

He immediately wished that he had stayed in the living room when he saw his room had dashes and splotches of violet everywhere. Had his mind known this would be his only vision? It wasn’t all purple, but it was enough to split his chest open and let the tears drop from his eyes. He sniffled, and removed his glasses so he could lay on his bed and hug his childhood puppy, who happened to have a light purple bow tie. 

He must’ve cried himself to sleep, because when he woke up it was dark. He groaned, feeling for his glasses so he could see slightly better. When he found them, he looked at his clock and gasped in shock. His parents had let him sleep, so it was five in the morning. 

He decided that being up early wasn’t too bad, and frankly he had developed a bad habit of staying up too late once he graduated. He put on a shirt, it was dark purple, he noticed. He woke up with the ability to view the color without hurt. Less than a day, and he was immune. The color would become as familiar as his normal grays. 

Patton fixed himself a mug of tea and made his way to the porch that overlooked the bay. He anticipated the sunrise. Would it be purple as well? What if that was the color of the sky in the morning? He sipped his hot tea in anticipation, and was excited to see the barest hints of what he assumed to be lavender on the edges of the sky where the sun blended with the night. He bounced excitedly, happy to finally enjoy the sunrise with new eyes.. He looked to the other seat, and drooped in disappointment to find it empty. 

Being brought back to reality hurt, and suddenly it was the same pain as the day before filling his head. He closed his eyes, not wanting to smudge his glasses with tears. 

He only opened them when he heard the sliding glass doors open and close. His dad sat on the previously empty seat with a cup of coffee. He smiled, the silver streaks in his hair more prominent with age. He gazed in wonderment at the view. Of course he did, he had been able to see color since he was sixteen years old. 

“I don’t understand why you look so amazed, you’ve seen it before.” Patton remarked bitterly, surprisingly out of character. 

“It’s different every morning,” his dad answered before looking at him curiously, “Why so sour, son?”

Patton deflated with a sigh. Perhaps some help from his dad would make him feel better. So he told him. 

He recalled his afternoon prior in perfect clarity. He made sure to use as many details as possible, hoping there was a piece he wasn’t able to see that his dad could. He relayed the scene of each moment leading up to the brief encounter. The sun had finally risen by the time he had finished, and his tears had finally fallen more. His dad handed him a handkerchief from his shirt pocket. 

Patton wiped his face while his dad pondered everything he had just been told. Patton went to sip his tea, but found it to be cold. He curled his lip in disappointment. He would have to make a new cup, but he didn’t want to get up in case his dad had more to say. 

After some silence, and without a word, his dad stood up to go inside. Patton got up to follow, curious as to why his dad was acting so mysterious. 

They stopped in the kitchen. His dad started rinsing his mug. “Did you see anything about this person? Any detail?” the older man finally asked. 

Patton shrugged. “I wasn’t really paying attention. I can only remember black, but it could have been a silhouette to fill in the empty space.” 

His dad nodded solemnly. “Okay, here’s the plan. You’re going to go back to the city, and retrace your steps. Don’t worry about cash, I’ll give you some. Go on, get your things, I’ll even drive you to a BART station on my way to work. 

Patton nodded, excited for the adventure once more. 

\----

Patton walked beneath the sky scrapers, seeing the barest depth to the shadows they cast. It looked nearly the same, yet more...pronounced. He marveled at the sights from the previous day, now so new. It was as if it were his first time in the city. He had to keep himself from skipping around. Hope was like sprouted lavender blooming forth from his chest. He saw every little bit of purple, and wondered to himself why he let the connotations disrupt the beauty of it. 

Maybe it was good to have a color of his own, just for a bit. He decided to go to the Westfield mall, and stared in wonder at the shops. Each window had a streak or two of lilac, the lingerie store had plum colored undergarments, the tables in the dining areas were lined in a weird, dark shade of purple that Patton tilted his head in confusion at. 

It was a bit off of his route from the previous day, but he wanted to enjoy the new sight for once. Take some time to experience the color on his own. Maybe that was what he was supposed to do, anyways.

He sat down at the table near the poke bowl counter, his own customized bowl in front of him as he gazed around his surroundings. 

There were people everywhere, and not so many of them were wearing the color. Most everyone seemed like they had before, silhouettes of swirling grays surrounding him, alone. That is, until he caught sight of a boy with purple hair sitting down at the table next to him. 

He stared in wonderment. He knew people who saw color changed their hair, but he never imagined it to be so...vibrant. The boy was dressed in all dark clothing. He seemed to be elsewhere, and it must have not been pleasant, seeing as his expression was in a grimace. 

Patton stirred his chopsticks in his bowl, starting to daydream about the purple haired boy. He wondered why he was so drawn, perhaps it was because he could see a detail about his person that he wouldn’t have before. 

“Hey, Specs, got a problem?” the boy asked, voice like gravel that made Patton’s heart skip a beat. 

“No, no! I was just staring at your hair,” Patton blushed, he didn’t want to be rude, and frankly had hoped the other wouldn’t notice. 

“Hm,” edged lips turned into a deep frown. “Whatever.” 

“Sorry…” Patton mumbled.

The boy’s head jerked up quickly, and Patton glanced curiously. What had he said?   
  


“What-what did you say?” he asked, some soul in his voice, but Patton wasn’t sure if it was good. 

Patton gulped, “Sorry. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. I just...just thought your hair was pretty, and I only just started seeing color yesterday. Well, only one color, and that’s your head,” Patton stretched his arms out in defense as he watched the person move in front of him, “Sorry! I just-”   
  


“Shut up,” the guy commanded, but softly. It wasn’t rude, it was tinged with nerves.

Patton gulped. He didn’t understand what was going on. Was this kid dangerous? No, he didn’t seem like it. 

The guy squatted next to Patton’s frozen figure. “I might never get another chance to say this,” the deep voice grumbled, “but hold my hand real quick.” 

Patton’s heart beat erratically in his chest. It couldn’t be. It can’t. It couldn’t. How?

His fingers trembled in fear of the unknown, and grabbed the stranger’s warm hand, and the world changed in the blink of an eye, literally. 

The world was full of color when there was contact. The person holding his hand gripped tight, which made Patton grateful because it was overwhelming. The mall they were in was more lively than he could have imagined. 

He looked at the face of his savior. He had dark black marks beneath his eyes. His skin was light, compared to Patton’s, but still so colorful. His eyes were something else. Light, vibrant, and Patton didn’t know how to describe it. He could tell that there were tears welling up in them. 

“I- I didn’t think I’d have a soulmate,” the boy confessed as the tears silently dropped. “I’ve always seen color. But you- something about your voice was familiar, and I needed to see- I was curious.” 

Patton was crying, too, but much less graceful. He had snot coming out of his nose, and his shoulders shook with sobs. He felt emotions as foreign as the world around him, and perhaps even more pleasant. 

“I’m Patton, can I hug you?” he asked shyly. 

“I’m Virgil. I’m not usually a hugger, but sure.” His voice was scratchy, nervous. He let go of Patton’s hand to open his arms wide. He was on his knees, still beside Patton. 

Patton dove into the dark arms of his new center. The one who brought him the colors of the rainbow surrounding him. If rainbows were made of light, it didn’t matter how dark Virgil’s clothes were, he was the brightest in the room. Patton nuzzled into the chest of his...soulmate. 

“Thank you,” he choked out, “Thank you so much!” 

“ You’re welcome, Pat,” Virgil responded as he patted the smaller boy’s back. 

Patton giggled, “Giving Pat a pat on the back?”

Virgil groaned, “Of course, I’m stuck with a punner forever.” 

Patton pulled his head up to see that Virgil was smirking, the remark was in jest. His smile was crooked, and probably the most beautiful thing Patton ever saw. 

“You’re pretty,” Virgil complimented. 

“Pretty Patton?” Patton asked, a sly smile on his face. 

“Sure,” Virgil rolled his eyes, “Pretty Patton.”

They both stood up, knees aching from the floor. They hugged properly, and they both fit perfectly. The world buzzed around them. Patton; glad to see the world in it’s complete beauty, and Virgil; happy to be able to share his vision with someone instead of alone. 


End file.
